By the end of next week, students have the opportunity to respond to the Brandeis Labor Coalition’s “Just Employment Policy” in a referendum vote that decides if the Student Union will support the policy in front of the administration. This board supports the points outlined in the “Just Employment Policy” and its overall ideals, but we encourage BLC to clarify some of its points.

The first point of the policy outlines the concept that all staff members of the University should have access to a “living wage.” The 2014-15 Rights and Responsibilities handbook describes staff as “any person who is employed by Brandeis University. Staff may include faculty or employed students.” This board encourages BLC to further consider the implications of administering a “living wage” to student employees. While some students depend heavily on work-study employment to pay for tuition and support their day-to-day expenses, for many students, on-campus jobs are used primarily for personal expenses. We wonder if fiercely advocating for such students may be seen as devaluing to the cause of a living wage for those deeply dependent on University employment, whether or not they are students. BLC must clarify if and how students using campus employment for personal spending money are deserving of a living wage and protected by their employment policy. We do, however, strongly support the implementation of a living wage for workers who truly need such wages to live and urge BLC to push forward in their advocacy for such employees. Students who are not dependent on their campus employment for living expenses should be considered at another time.

The fifth point of the policy suggests that the University address Union agreements when hiring subcontractors and take “punitive measures” in addressing violations of such policies. This board asks for further clarification of what such “punitive measures” would entail for subcontractors who breach Union rules, and how Brandeis shall implement this ideal in a credible manner.

The sixth point of the policy states that the University should prioritize full-time jobs and rarely issue part-time employment. This board asks BLC to consider that student employees already are limited in the number of hours they are permitted to work, which complicates this point of the policy if it does apply to all workers. We recommend clarification on this point. 

In the seventh point, BLC suggests that the University should issue an annual evaluation of how these policies are being implemented within the University community. This board wholeheartedly supports such a regular evaluation but suggests that BLC more clearly outline how this process would be implemented. We understand that ultimately the University is responsible for implementation, but supplying more specifics could only help. 

Once these points are refined and confusions cleared up, we wholeheartedly endorse a “Yes” vote on the Just Employment Policy.